Yvonne Bali

Health campaigner

2007 WA Local Hero

When Yvonne Bali found out that her rare lung disease would eventually lead to a transplant, she realised that WA had a heart transplant unit but not one for lungs. She started a journey to raise funds for the Royal Perth Hospital in the hope that a unit would be operational by the time of her operation. Despite beginning her highly successful annual Gala Dinner Auctions in 1996, when her time came she had to travel to Melbourne. But Yvonne kept on going, raising funds fi rst for equipment for the heart transplant unit and then for WA Transplant Support Group, which covers lung transplants as well. Her leadership has brought very generous donations and sponsorship from WA business. Yvonne is founder and patron of the Heart and Lung Foundation of Western Australia and now no-one in her community needs to be away from family while waiting for their life-saving transplant.